Multi-hop peer-to-peer wireless local loop phone system and method

Abstract

A peer-to-peer wireless phone system with peer-to-peer units and network configuration algorithms by which a virtual circuit data path is established by minimizing the latency added at each hop starting with the external network gateway or the most loaded hop and choosing closest time slots for each next hop until a the virtual circuit is completed. Also, certain embodiments of the present invention include network configuration algorithms by which traffic around any external network gateway(s) is optimized to maximize throughput around the gateway by allocating certain of many available channels to a group of P2P units around the gateway, these units acting as an “infrastructure” through which other units route virtual circuits through the gateway. The network topology is also configured to let these units transmit at higher power levels and ranges than other P2P units in the network, and thereby help minimize the number of hops needed to reach the external network gateway. Further, other sets of units can be configured with similar larger transmit ranges (around 4 of the standard P2P hop ranges), positioned at such a range on the opposite side of from the gateway to also act as “infrastructure units”, both to pass calls forward to the group of units in the gateway's Point Coordinator group, and to also route circuits that are internal to the network around the Point Coordinator group on the gateway, thereby maximizing efficient use of the gateway capacity. Such rings or layers of infrastructure can be repeated as necessary to minimize hops as the network grows larger, making the tradeoff between minimizing hops (which maximizes transmit power and increases co-channel interference) and minimizing power (which maximizes the number of hops and produces poor latency).

1 . A method of operating a plurality of peer-to-peer units to establish a virtual circuit traffic connection, the method comprising the following steps: 
 (a) choosing a predetermined route from a predetermined set of available routes to reach a selected destination,    (b) sending, from an originating unit, a request to establish a virtual circuit along said route to a terminating unit of said route within plurality of peer-to-peer units;    (c) determining whether said terminating unit is acting as a final-hop point coordinator,    (d) in response to a determining that said terminating unit is acting as a final-hop point coordinator, assigning a time slot for a final hop in the route;    (e) in response to determining that said terminating unit is not acting as a final-hop point coordinator, requesting a time slot for the final hop in the route from an alternative unit acting as a final hop point coordinator;    (f) transmitting information on said time slot to a previous unit in said route;    (g) determining whether said previous unit is acting as a present-hop point coordinator,    (h) in response to a determining that said terminating unit is acting as a present-hop point coordinator, assigning a time slot for a present hop in the route;    (i) in response to determining that said terminating unit is not acting as a present-hop point coordinator, requesting a time slot for the present hop in the route from an alternative unit acting as a present hop point coordinator;    (j) repeating steps (f), (g), (h) and (i) until said route is terminated at the originating unit requesting said route.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  in which selected pairs of adjacent hops in said route are not transmitted on the same frequency.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1  in which transmit frequencies for each hop in said route are allocated according to a geographic distribution channel reuse scheme.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1  in which a selected one or more hops are at a higher transmit power than a selected one or more other hops.  
   
   
       5 . A communications system comprising: 
 a plurality of wireless terminal units, 
 each of said wireless terminal units having a transmitter and a receiver,  
 each of said wireless terminal units being programmed to operate as an end terminal for a phone system and also to act as a relay node for select others of said wireless terminal units.  
   
   
   
       6 . The communications system of  claim 5 , wherein each of said wireless terminal units may function both as a Point Coordinator for a first selected group of other wireless terminal units, and as a client in a second selected group of wireless terminal units with a second Point Coordinator.  
   
   
       7 . The communications system of  claim 5 , wherein each of said wireless terminal units operating as a Point Coordinator is configured to perform Medium Access Control only as a Point Coordinator for substantially all of the time allotted to that unit as a Point Coordinator.  
   
   
       8 . The communications system of  claim 5 , wherein each of said wireless terminal units operating as a Point Coordinator is configured to relay any virtual circuit connections not initiated or terminated at said wireless terminal unit from the group of wireless terminal units to the Point Coordinator of the group in which it participates as a client; and wherein said each of said wireless terminal units operating as a Point Coordinator is configured to relay a any virtual circuit connections not initiated or terminated at said wireless terminal unit from the Point Coordinator of the group in which it participates as a client to the group of wireless terminal units for which it servers as a point coordinator.  
   
   
       9 . The communications system of  claim 5  further comprising: 
 at least one external network gateway, said gateway having a connection to a communications network external to said communications system.    
   
   
       10 . The communications system of  claim 9  wherein said communications network is the PSTN.  
   
   
       11 . The communications system of  claim 9  wherein said communications network is the Internet.  
   
   
       12 . The communications system of  claim 5 , wherein said wireless terminal units can function as a “infrastructure” unit if a number of hops to said external network gateway or to another infrastructure unit is greater than a predetermined number.  
   
   
       13 . The communications system of  claim 5  further comprising: 
 a phone handset attached to said wireless terminal unit.    
   
   
       14 . The communications system of  claim 5 , wherein each of said wireless terminal units communicates on at least two sets of multiple access channels.  
   
   
       15 . The communications system of  claim 14 , wherein said multiple access channels are selected from the group comprising Code Division Multiple Access, Frequency Division Multiple Access, Space Division Multiple Access, and Time Division Multiple Access.  
   
   
       16 . A method of operating a plurality of peer-to-peer units to establish a virtual circuit traffic connection, the method comprising the following steps: 
 (a) choosing a predetermined route from a predetermined set of available routes to reach a selected destination,    (b) sending, from an originating unit, a request to establish a virtual circuit along said route to a terminating unit of said route within plurality of peer-to-peer units;    (c) determining a most-loaded unit from among the peer-to-peer units in the chosen route;    (d) determining whether said most-loaded unit is acting as a point coordinator,    (e) choosing an outgoing open time slot and an incoming open time slot at the most-loaded unit having a minimal latency among available outgoing and incoming time slots at the most-loaded unit;    (f) activating the outgoing and incoming time slots for use in establishing the virtual circuit connection;    (g) establishing, constrained by the timeslots chosen at the most-loaded unit, the virtual circuit connection in both directions along the chosen route by requesting next-available time slots at each hop in both directions.    
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 1  in which selected pairs of adjacent hops in said route are not transmitted on the same frequency.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 1  in which transmit frequencies for each hop in said route are allocated according to a geographic distribution channel reuse scheme.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 1  in which a selected one or more hops are at a higher transmit power than a selected one or more other hops.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said most-loaded unit is determined by each unit sending loading information along the requested path along with the initial request to establish a route.